Air springs having elastomeric air-spring flexible members are known in a great many embodiments and are used successfully, for example, as vehicle springs and especially for suspending vehicle assemblies with respect to the wheel axles of trucks and buses or a driver cab with respect to the vehicle chassis. The air spring flexible members are tightly attached at their ends to respective parts which are usually made of metal or plastic. The air spring flexible member is connected via the connecting parts to the vehicle chassis, on the one hand, and to the vehicle axle, on the other hand.
It has been determined that vibrations occur at the axle in a motor vehicle suspended by air springs. These vibrations can lie at the natural frequency of the axle.
The vibrations on the axle are, for example, introduced by the upward impact of a wheel or by the unevenness of the road surface. If these vibrations are at the natural frequency of the axle, then this has negative effects on the driving comfort and on the driving safety of the vehicle. It has been furthermore determined that the vehicle body supported by the air spring can be excited to mechanical oscillations or vibrations by the larger oscillating forces. These vibrations become disturbingly noticeable in the body of the vehicle. Furthermore, structure borne noise can be radiated because of this excitation.